[06/25/14 - 02:34 PM]CMT Empowering Education Announces Commitment to Action Today at Clinton Global Initiative AmericaIn the pilot year, CMT and AACC's Workforce and Economic Development unit will partner with a cohort of 21 community colleges in some of the most rural and distressed regions of the United States.

Country Star Dustin Lynch Announced as Official CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION Spokesperson

DENVER - June 25, 2014 - CMT announced a three-year Commitment to Action that builds off of the network's initial partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and aims to raise visibility for education and workforce struggles in rural America, and provide strategic solutions for economic development. The CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMMITMENT (CMTEE-CCI) was one of the Commitments to Actions featured today during the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting closing plenary session.

"We are honored to announce this commitment at CGI-America in the midst of so many innovative campaigns," said Lucia Folk, vice president of public affairs, CMT. "Combining CMT's reach and Dustin Lynch's star power, we will aim to highlight educational opportunities which can enable anyone, no matter what their age, to pursue a brighter future."

CMT and the AACC, along with the aid of country star Dustin Lynch, who was announced as the initiative's official spokesperson today, will encourage Americans across the country to pursue higher education by informing them of the various post-secondary opportunities available that meet their aspirational goals, as well as grow the skills that are in-demand by employers.

In the pilot year, CMT and AACC's Workforce and Economic Development unit will partner with a cohort of 21 community colleges in some of the most rural and distressed regions of the United States. CMT will provide support to these local mobilization efforts by: capturing student success stories on video from each participating college and highlighting the specific challenges for that school's service area; providing customizable, brand-centric marketing toolkits to be used for local marketing efforts; partnering with Dustin Lynch to serve as the official CMTEE-CCI spokesperson on both a national and local level; leveraging local and national industry partners to support these efforts through PSAs, on-air promotion, etc.; and establishing partnerships with several participating colleges on local recruitment and promotional events each year. The network plans to expand this initiative to additional AACC member colleges each year.

In 2012, CMT launched the EMPOWERING EDUCATION initiative to encourage viewers, no matter their age, to enroll or re-enroll in school in order to reach their full potential. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in March 2014 approximately four million jobs were open, but went unfilled due to the lack of skilled applicants, providing a great need for the CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION campaign. CMTEMPOWERINGEDUCATION.com offers crucial information and resources for prospective students, from how to finance their education, to a timeline for applying to school, to access to a multitude of scholarship resources. By answering a few simple questions, the user is able to receive a customized action plan on how to complete their education in a way that will fit their individual needs and lifestyle.

CMT's commitment to education began with a 2010 partnership with Nashville's largest metropolitan school, McGavock High School. The partnership offers year-round collaborative opportunities among educators, students and CMT's workforce. The academy's curriculum cultivates aspiring digital media and communication students and potential future CMT employees, and was subsequently named after the network for its generous in-kind donations; including more than 3000 volunteer hours from CMT employees since the partnership began. Following this local success, CMT saw an opportunity to involve viewers at a national level and launched its EMPOWERING EDUCATION initiative.

About CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION

CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION is a comprehensive educational campaign that provides an online resource, www.CMTEmpoweringEducation.com, to aid CMT viewers in overcoming the most commonly perceived obstacles to furthering education. The site aggregates the multitude of existing quality information in one easy-to-navigate central location, and creates an individualized education action plan for each user.

CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION is founded on the same education research and insights that led to the creation of Get Schooled, a non-profit organization dedicated to using media, technology and popular culture to improve attendance. Get Schooled was formed through a partnership between Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Advising partners for the CMT EMPOWERING EDUCATION campaign include Achieving the Dream, the Association of Career and Technical Education, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Center for Workforce and Economic Development at the American Association of Community Colleges, National Skills Coalition and Skills for America's Future (the Aspen Institute).

About the Clinton Global Initiative America

The Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), a program of the Clinton Global Initiative, addresses economic recovery in the United States. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made over 300 commitments valued at more than $15 billion when fully funded and implemented. To learn more, visit cgiamerica.org.

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders year-round and at its Annual Meeting to create and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI also convenes CGI University, which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their communities and around the world. To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 2,800 Commitments to Action, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $103 billion. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.